“We are incredibly proud of Erin, Eric, Michael, Ed, and Ben,” said Steve Standifird, Dean of Butler’s College of Business. “Their accomplishments in life and in their career are a testament to their hard work. They exemplify the passion we have at Butler and the College of Business for the success of our alums in life and leadership.”

Carpenter, the well-known IndyCar driver, majored in marketing at Butler. He is now an owner of CFH Racing, along with Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman. He's about to begin his 13th IndyCar season.

Grimes, who studied marketing, is Vice President of Omni-Channel Marketing for Finish Line Inc., where his job is to integrate the store and online experiences.

Payne is Managing Director of Wealth Management, Payne & Mencias Group at Merrill Lynch, where he manages $1.7 billion in assets for 200 families. He majored in accounting.

Roth is Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for Wabash National Corp. She studied accounting at Butler, and has helped lead Wabash into what is now a $2 billion company, the IBJ reported.

Winters is the author of the mystery trilogy “The Last Policeman,” “Countdown City,” and “World of Trouble.” He has taught a fiction workshop and The Detective Novel. He will teach at Butler again in spring 2016.

The final list of 40 was culled from 269 nominees. Criteria for selection include the level of success a nominee has achieved in his or her chosen field, their accomplishments in the community, and the likelihood the nominee will stay in Indianapolis and build on those achievements.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

Butler Well Represented In IBJ's 40 Under 40

Mel Coryell MFA '15 Earns Milken Family Foundation Award

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PUBLISHED ON Nov 23 2015

Melody Coryell MFA ’15, an English teacher and the coordinator of Shortridge High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program, has been awarded a $25,000 Milken Family Foundation Educator Award—“the Oscars of Teaching”—for her work bringing IB education to Shortridge and promoting the rigorous curriculum around the state.

“I had no idea,” she said after a ceremony in the Shortridge gym that included the school’s drumline and cheerleaders, as well as introductions by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee. “There was not even any weird eye contact or anything. I’m shocked. I’m incredibly shocked.”

Coryell has taught for 11 years. She joined the Shortridge faculty after a decade at Lawrence North High School as an IB coordinator and English teacher, as well as a few years in university faculty development.

“I have a clear mission for my work in education,” Coryell said. “That is, I believe in the IB, I believe in the IB philosophy, and I believe it can work for all kids. So decisions I make as an educator are geared toward that. And I also believe that a relationship with students and teaching them to reflect on who they are as learners, and listening to them and seeking to understand and move them forward in their own goals, can lead them to succeed.”

Jane Foley, Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President, said Coryell “is not only a leader at Shortridge High School, she’s a leader in the IB program throughout the state. She’s the vice president of the state association for IB and she’s also known for helping colleagues and working with universities to determine how they’re going to give college credit for IB courses.”

Coryell earned her bachelor’s degree at Ball State University and then worked at IUPUI in professional development. She did her teacher training at Indiana Wesleyan University. In her bio on the Shortridge website, Coryell describes herself as “a lifelong learner” with coursework in literature, history, secondary education, higher education, and writing.

She said that when she started her Master of Fine Arts at Butler, friends wondered what she would do with the degree.

“But it’s made me a much better teacher,” she said.

Ritz praised Coryell for preparing students “to be global citizens through a high-quality, international curriculum. And as a teacher-leader, she supports and encourages her colleagues to ensure that students are receiving an education of the highest quality. As Indiana’s schools continue to experience a teacher shortage, now more than ever it is important to recognize the work of outstanding educators like Melody and to encourage the next generation to follow her example.”

The winners of the prestigious Milken Awards are chosen in secrecy, Foley said. There is no nomination or application process. Instead, the recipients are chosen through a confidential selection process.

“We look at the entire country and then we determine who we believe represents the top 1 percent of the profession,” Foley said. “Then the award literally falls from the sky to say thank you to educators who are doing amazing work. We want them to know that their work has been noticed and appreciated, and we want them to stay in education forever.”

Wendi Thomas '93 Selected for a Nieman Fellowship

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PUBLISHED ON May 15 2015

Wendi C. Thomas ’93, a columnist for the Memphis (Tennessee) Flyer, has been selected for the 2016 class of Nieman Fellows at Harvard University.

She and the 23 other fellows will begin an academic year of study at Harvard in the fall. Her work will concentrate on how to deepen the public conversation on economic justice using a multimedia news website and civic engagement campaign.

Thomas, who majored in journalism at Butler, has been working for newspapers for more than 20 years. She started her career at the Butler Collegian and then as an obituary intern at The Indianapolis Star. She worked as a reporter at the Indianapolis Star, a reporter and an editor at The (Nashville) Tennessean, and an editor at The Charlotte Observer.

In 2003, she returned to her hometown of Memphis as a columnist and assistant managing editor at The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal. In 2014, she joined the Memphis Flyer as a columnist. She’s also a distinguished writing fellow for the Center for Community Change, a Washington, D.C-based social and economic justice organization.

In 2008, Thomas founded the racial justice organization Common Ground: Conversations on Race, Communities in Action. The dialogue-to-action program has more than 1,500 alumni and is now a program of the YWCA of Greater Memphis.

The Nieman Foundation has educated more than 1,400 accomplished journalists from 93 countries since 1938. The fellowship has expanded in recent years to include a broad range of collaborative and experimental programs. In addition to taking classes during their time at Harvard, fellows attend Nieman seminars, workshops and master classes and work closely with Harvard scholars and other leading thinkers in the Cambridge area.

This year’s fellows include reporters, editors, columnists, a political cartoonist, a network producer, bureau chiefs, photographers, digital strategists, and news executives who work around the globe in all media.

Butler to Honor 11 for Service to the University

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PUBLISHED ON Sep 03 2015

Nine Butler University alumni and former President Bobby Fong will be honored on September 25 at the Alumni Awards Recognition Program for extraordinary professional achievement and service to the University and their communities.

Emily, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the College of Business, was captain of the cheerleading squad and active in Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority while at Butler. After graduating, she worked for GE Supply, later called Gexpro, as a contract implementation leader. She served as a student mentor in the Starfish Initiative for four years and is an active member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Indianapolis. In 2007, Will and Emily created the Richard McIntyre Endowed Book Fund to honor Emily’s late father. In 2012, Will and Emily had their first child, and Emily has been a full-time mom since then.

Will, who was Freshman Male of the Year in 2003 and a Top 100 Student in 2005 and 2006, earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance at Butler. He was captain of the men’s golf team and a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He started as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch after Butler and is now First Vice President of Wealth Management, focusing his practice on financial planning and investments for individuals and institutions. Will has been a member of Butler’s B-Association, Ovid Butler Society Executive Committee, and the Young Alumni Board, where he served as President.

The Ovid Butler Society Foundation Award honors one person or couple (age 40 and younger) who demonstrate leadership and generosity to Butler University.

Nancy Brown, who studied English at Butler, is a current member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors. She is a past member of the OBS Executive Committee. While a student at Butler, her activities and honors included Alpha Chi Omega, Dean’s List, Alpha Lambda Delta, Sigma Tau Delta, Mortar Board (President), History Club, Literature Club, Spring Sing (Director), Geneva Stunts (Co-Director).

Brown earned a Master of Arts in Public Relations at Ball State University in 1981 and went on to a career in corporate communications. She worked at First Chicago/NBD Corp. from 1978–2000, leaving there as a vice president, and became Director of Corporate Relations for ITT Educational Services. She retired from ITT in 2007.

Darrell Pieczko formerly worked as Director of Market Research for INB Financial. Brown and Pieczko live six blocks from the Butler campus and enjoy the atmosphere that the Carillon contributes to the neighborhood.

The Ovid Butler Society Mortar Award honors one person or couple each year who demonstrate great vision, leadership, and generosity to Butler University.

Bradley A. Hamann ’04 (Joseph Irwin Sweeney Alumni Service Award)

Brad Hamann, Managing Broker for Hamann Sense LLC, decided to attend Butler following a Butler Business Scholar’s Weekend. He majored in marketing and minored in psychology. As the bulldog mascot, he traveled to the men’s basketball team’s first Sweet Sixteen in 2003. Brad was recognized as a “Resident Assistant of the Year” in 2003 before becoming the Assistant Coordinator at University Terrace, serving approximately 150 students during his tenure. Brad was twice honored in the “Top 10 Outstanding Male Students” in 2003 and 2004.

Hamann continues to support the College of Business, Student Affairs, and Young Alumni Board, where he served as Vice President and President. He helped establish a scholarship, form a task force on alumni needs, and create the “Ambassador” program to engage members. Hamann met his wife, Andrea E. (Sands) Hamann PharmD ’08 as a client referral in 2009. They married in 2013 and reside in Butler Tarkington.

The award he is receiving is named for Joseph Irwin Sweeney, whose student career was cut short when he suffered an untimely death in summer 1900 prior to his senior year. It goes to an alumnus or alumna who has graduated within the past 15 years.

Nadja Halilbegovich was 12 years old when the war broke out in her native country Bosnia. Throughout the next three and a half years, she and all the citizens of the capital Sarajevo suffered from continuous shelling and the deprivation of basic needs. During the war, she began sharing her poetry and diary entries on the National Radio. Soon, she had her own radio show called “The Music Box.”

At 14, Halilbegovich’s diary was published in Bosnia. She became known as the “Bosnian Anne Frank,” and the Dutch National Television network created a documentary about her life. In late 1995, Halilbegovich escaped the war and came to live in the United States. That summer, the sequel to her diary entitled Dreamer’s Insomnia was published in Bosnia. She continued to speak and share her experiences.

She earned bachelor’s degrees in theatre and music performance from Butler University and was recognized as the first-ever student recipient of a “Woman of Distinction Award.”

The Hilton Ultimus Brown Alumni Achievement Award honors alumni who have exited the University within the past 15 years and have made major contributions to a career field or to society.

Barry Hohlfelder retired in 2008 after nearly 37 years as a television producer for NBC. His credits include producing “Sixth Hour News” for WNBC-TV in New York, writing news for WMAQ-TV in Chicago’s Channel 5 News, and news producer at WMAQ, where he produced special projects for Jane Pauley. He won a national Emmy in 1982 for an “NBC Nightly News” series called “College Sports, the Money Game,” and a local Emmy for co-hosting a series of championship high school football games with Greg Gumbel.

At Butler, where he was a radio and television major, he was a news director and anchor at WAJC-FM; appeared in two theatre productions; received a radio writing award sponsored by WXLW radio at the 1966 Honors Convocation; won a WIBC Radio Newscasting Award; and received the Alpha Epsilon Rho Senior Achievement Award in radio.

He is past Chair and a current member of the Jordan College of the Arts Board of Visitors and the current Chair of the College of Communication Board of Visitors. He also is President of the Jordan College of the Arts Alumni Community and has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

The Katharine Merrill Graydon Alumni Service Award is presented to an alumnus or alumna of more than 15 years for outstanding service to Butler University.

Joe Allegretti graduated cum laude from the College of Pharmacy in 1959. He is the Past President and COO of Laser Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Crown Point, Indiana, and was President Emeritus of Laser Pharmaceuticals LLC, a new entity. He also was the Secretary/Treasurer of the Ribordy Drug Store chain for more than 13 years. In his early years, he worked as a pharmacist at East Side Pharmacy and Portage Professional Pharmacy in the Portage Clinic, all affiliated with Ribordy Drugs.

Allegretti was Chairman and Director of the Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS) Board of Visitors for a combination of six years. He and his wife, Annette, have three sons: Carl, Paul, and Jim—all Butler University graduates. Carl ’83 is a Certified Public Accountant and Partner and CEO of Deloitte Tax LLP. Paul ’88 is a pharmacy graduate and is currently an Emergency Room Physician and Director of the Emergency Room Program for Midwestern University. James ’92 is a Certified Public Accountant and Partner with Deloitte LLP. All three sons played football for Butler.

For the past 25 years, Joe and Annette have provided various scholarship support to a Butler student majoring in Pharmacy or Business from Northwest Indiana. For the past 15 years, they have endowed a scholarship through the Crown Point Community Foundation for a student from the Crown Point area going to Butler University. They have also donated white coats to Butler Pharmacy students entering the professional phase of their education and supported the Athletic Department in the past.

The Robert Todd Duncan Alumni Achievement Award is presented to a Butler alumnus or alumna of more than 15 years for outstanding contributions in a career field or to society.

Bobby Fong (The Butler Service Medal)

When Bobby Fong became President of Butler University in 2001, he was the only Asian American president of a private university in the United States. His decade as President of Butler was highlighted by highly successful financial management and strategic planning initiatives. The University implemented a new core curriculum, which included an Indianapolis service component; built or renovated a facility each year; completed a $154 million comprehensive campaign; and sustained an athletic program distinguished by its balance between academic achievement and competitive excellence.

He opened the Center for Faith and Vocation and the Center for Citizenship and Community, which became national models for involving students in faith and service to community, respectively. Under Fong’s leadership, Butler began its relationship with Shortridge High School, the Community Arts School, and, with a grant from the Lilly Endowment, its Pharmacy Outreach program.

The Butler Service Medal recognizes emeriti faculty or retired faculty and staff (alumnus or non-alumnus) for a lifetime of distinguished service to Butler University and to the community.

Ann Wagner Harper ’63 MS ’68 (The Butler Service Medal)

By the time Ann Wagner Harper got to Butler, she had already established herself as a local celebrity in music and broadcasting. Among her credits, she was the first female vocalist on television in Indiana, on WFBM (Channel 6); and first female disc jockey in the state, on WFBM radio, where she conducted on-air interviews with such personalities as Patti Page, The McGuire Sisters, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, and Bill Haley and the Comets.

When rock ’n’ roll hit, she decided to give up radio and finish her college education at Butler University. (She had started college at the University of Louisville in 1944 after winning a voice contest sponsored by the Louisville Courier Journal and WHAS, but moved to Indianapolis in 1947 to sing with the Art Berry Orchestra at The Columbia Club.) She earned her bachelor’s degree in speech, then taught high school, and completed her master’s degree at Butler in education and speech.

After graduation, the manager of WAJC, Butler’s student-run radio, asked her to join the faculty in radio and television broadcasting. She advised students and taught announcing and radio production. She later introduced two new courses, broadcast law and music in broadcasting. Starting as an instructor, she became a full professor, her proudest professional accomplishment. In 1985, she was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. She retired from Butler in 1988.

Sanford “Sandy” Rader ’53 (The Butler Medal)

Sandy Rader has practiced law in New Jersey for 45 years. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a member of the Strategic Air Command Flight Crew from 1954–1956 and has been an Air Force Reserve Officer and Retiree Officer since 1956. Rader is currently the Director of Retiree Services and Affairs at Joint Military Base McGuire-Dix, Lakehurst, New Jersey, overseeing services for approximately 70,000 retirees and veterans.

At Butler, Rader organized the 1952 Junior Prom. He also served as president of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity; was a member and officer of the Arnold Air Society of the Butler Air Force ROTC Detachment; was an Air Force ROTC officer and on the Air Force ROTC staff in his senior year; was a house boy at the Delta Gamma house and a soda jerk at the C-Club; chaired one of the Greek caucuses on campus politics; and was a representative on the Interfraternity/Sorority Council.

The Butler Medal, the highest honor conferred by the Butler University Alumni Association, recognizes individuals for a lifetime of distinguished service to either Butler or their local community while at the same time achieving a distinguished career in their chosen profession.